Find information on speech therapy diagnosis, including clinical documentation requirements, healthcare procedures, and medical coding guidelines. Learn about common speech disorders, diagnostic criteria, and effective treatment approaches. Explore resources for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) covering assessment, intervention, and progress monitoring. Discover best practices for accurate and comprehensive speech therapy documentation for optimal patient care and reimbursement using relevant ICD-10 and CPT codes. This resource provides valuable insights into the diagnosis and management of speech and language disorders within a healthcare setting.
Also known as
Dysarthria and anarthria
Difficulty with speech articulation due to muscle control problems.
Specific developmental disorders of speech and language
Communication difficulties originating in the developmental period.
Sequelae of cerebrovascular disease
Long-term effects of stroke, sometimes including speech problems.
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing, often associated with speech therapy needs.
Follow this step-by-step guide to choose the correct ICD-10 code.
Is speech therapy for articulation?
Yes
Is it due to a known physiological condition?
No
Is speech therapy for fluency?
When to use each related code
| Description |
|---|
| Speech sound disorders |
| Language disorder |
| Fluency disorder |
Coding speech therapy with unspecified codes when a more specific diagnosis is documented leads to inaccurate reimbursement and data analysis.
Lack of clear documentation supporting the medical necessity of speech therapy can result in claim denials and revenue loss. CDI crucial.
Using incorrect CPT or ICD-10 codes for speech therapy services due to coder error or outdated coding resources impacts compliance and billing.
Patient presents for speech therapy evaluation and treatment secondary to [primary diagnosis e.g., stroke, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorder, dysarthria, aphasia, voice disorder, stuttering, apraxia of speech]. Patient reports [specific speech or language difficulty e.g., difficulty articulating words, slurred speech, difficulty finding words, hoarse voice, frequent disfluencies, difficulty swallowing]. Onset of symptoms reported as [onset timeframe e.g., gradual, sudden, following incident on date]. Past medical history includes [relevant medical history e.g., history of stroke, head injury, prior speech therapy]. Formal speech and language assessment revealed deficits in [specific areas e.g., articulation, phonology, fluency, voice, expressive language, receptive language, pragmatics, swallowing, oral motor skills]. Standardized assessments administered include [specific assessments e.g., GFTA-3, CELF-5, Western Aphasia Battery, Boston Naming Test]. Assessment results indicate [severity of impairment e.g., mild, moderate, severe] impairment in [impaired areas]. Diagnosis: [ICD-10 code and description e.g., F80.89 Other developmental disorders of speech and language]. Treatment plan includes [specific therapy techniques e.g., articulation therapy, language stimulation, fluency shaping, voice therapy, dysphagia therapy] focusing on [specific goals e.g., improving intelligibility, increasing expressive vocabulary, reducing disfluencies, improving vocal quality, improving safe swallowing]. Frequency of therapy recommended: [frequency e.g., twice weekly, weekly]. Prognosis for improvement is [prognosis e.g., good, fair, guarded] based on [factors influencing prognosis e.g., patient motivation, severity of impairment, underlying medical condition]. Patient andor caregiver education provided regarding diagnosis, treatment plan, and home exercises. Patient demonstrates understanding and agreement with the plan of care. CPT codes for this session include [relevant CPT codes e.g., 92507, 92523].